The present invention relates generally to the field of virtual power plants, but may be broadly applied to distributed systems of devices, or systems that generate a collective quantity through diverse generators to meet a certain demand. Embodiments of the invention relate specifically to methods and systems for controlling and managing virtual power plants.
Virtual power plants produce power with high efficiency and are thus likely to be an important energy source in the future. A virtual power plant generator network comprises a collection of small, decentralized power generating units. These might be, for example, windmills, photovoltaic generators, heat exchangers, fuel cells or fossil fuel generators. These generating units are principally located on private, residential properties or public buildings, but can also be present in industrial or agricultural installations, e.g. by using the heat generated by production processes.
The decentralized power generating units may be linked together over a communications network and controlled using software.